London Calling - Hatsune Miku Live Party 2011

Written by A. H. on 05 Dec 2011

When we first wrote a piece about Miku Hatsune back in the summer of 2009, it was pretty obvious that the story of this virtual diva was far from over - as has become clear over the subsequent couple of years, it had only just begun at that point.  2011 in particular has seen the Vocaloid phenomenon go global, with this synthesised superstar finding herself starring in TV commercials for Toyota, opening her own social network and going "on tour" to various locations around the world.

It's this most recent addition to the Miku Hatsune story that takes us to a chilly but dry evening in London's Piccadilly Circus, and a gathering of faithful Vocaloid lovers to the first UK appearance of Miku and at least some of her friends.  Although this wasn't so much a concert per se as a theatrical screening of an event hosted in Sapporo (the Miku Hatsune Live Party 2011 concert, to be precise), this did little to diminish the enthusiasm of those present - some arrived in cosplay, others had organised a petition for a "proper" concert to be held in the UK in the future, while more still produced glowsticks from bags and pockets.  Of course, yours truly was far too concerned with focusing on the serious business of covering the event... so I only had three glowsticks in my possession.  Regardless, the assembled audience were here to have fun, and as the show's start time drew closer the excitement and enthusiasm was palpable.

So palpable was the desire to see Miku and friends on screen, that every commercial, trailer and announcement video before the main event was given a frosty reception with audible groans aplenty - nothing breaks anticipation like a succession of dreary adverts for a brand of gin, it seems.  Eventually however patience was rewarded, and the groans turned to cheers as we finally reached what we'd came for, with Miku "taking to the stage" in Sapporo via the impressive screen installed there to the delight of both the audience on-screen and in the rather more local confines of the Apollo cinema.

While the use of a Sony Digital 4K screen gave us a largely gorgeous image to gawp at throughout as the various Vocaloids strutted their stuff, when coupled with the Blu-Ray used for the screening (which sadly wasn't available to buy at the event itself, a huge oversight and missed merchandising opportunity without a doubt) it did tend to remind you of the limitations of the technology used to bring these virtual idols to life, with close-ups showing the pixellated nature of the characters up close while other shots showed small "gaps" in the construction of the screen which hosted them.  None of this was enough to detract from the sense of fun which came from watching your favourite Vocaloid dancing and singing, but I got the impression that it was a bit of a surprise to some who were expecting something a little more dazzling in technical terms.